cover of ''
Blue Steel'', 1990
'''Jamie Lee Curtis''' (born November 22, 1958) is a Golden Globe-winning American film actress and a successful author of books for children. Although she was initially known as a "scream queen", because of her starring roles in many horror films early in her career, Curtis has since compiled a body of work that covers every genre. She is married to actor Christopher Guest (Baron Haden-Guest) and, as the wife of a Baron, is entitled to be called '''Lady Haden-Guest''', although she does not use this title.
Early life
Curtis was born in Los Angeles, California, the child of well-known actors Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh. Her paternal grandparents were Jewish immigrants from Hungary. Her parents divorced in 1962 and her mother remarried to a Robert Brandt. She has an older sister, Kelly Curtis, who is also an actress, and several half-siblings (all from her father's remarriage), Alexandra, Allegra, Ben, and Nicholas Curtis (who died in 1994 of a drug overdose).
Curtis attended both Westlake School for Girls in Los Angeles and Beverly Hills High School, but graduated from Choate Rosemary Hall. She returned to California in 1976. She attended the University of the Pacific in Stockton, California, where she considered majoring in social work, but left after a semester in order to pursue an acting career. Universal Studios put her under contract, and she starred in the television series ''
Operation Petticoat''.
Career
Film
Curtis made her TV debut in an episode of Columbo and her film debut in the 1978 horror film ''
Halloween'', playing the role of Laurie Strode, the only teenage character in the film who is not killed. The film was a major success and was considered the highest grossing independent film of its time. Curtis was subsequently cast in several horror films, which led to her association with the horror genre, garnering her the title of a "scream queen".
Her first follow-up to ''
Halloween'' was the horror film, ''
The Fog'', which was directed by "Halloween" director John Carpenter. The film opened in February 1980 to mixed reviews but strong box office,
further cementing Curtis as a horror film starlet. Her next film, ''
Prom Night'', was a low-budget Canadian slasher film and was released in July 1980. The film, for which she earned a Genie Award nomination for Best Performance by a Foreign Actress, was considered similar in style to ''
Halloween'', and received negative reviews which marked it as a disposable entry in the then active
